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The fan-tailed raven is a passerine bird of the crow family native to Eastern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
ID tip
The fan-tailed raven is completely black including bill, legs and feet and the plumage has a purplish-blue gloss in good light. Worn plumage is slightly coppery-brown. The base of the feathers on the upper neck are white and only seen if the bird is inspected or a strong gust blows them the wrong way. The throat hackles are shorter than in most other ravens. One of the smaller raven species, it is about the same size or slightly larger than the carrion crow, at 47–51 cm, but with a much thicker bill, shorter tail and much larger wings.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in South Sudan, Nigeria, United Arab Emirates.
When to see it
Peak activity in November · a resident species across most of its range
Easily confused with
Sunda CrowCorvus encaThe Sunda crow is a passerine bird of the family Corvidae that is found in South-East Asia, from Malaysia to Borneo.
Cuban CrowCorvus nasicusA stocky, medium-sized (40–42 centimetres or 16–17 inches in length) forest crow, the bill of this species is long and deep with a gentle curve towards the tip giving a large headed profile.
Sinaloa CrowCorvus sinaloaeThe Sinaloa crow is 35.5 to 38 cm (14 to 15 in) long; two individuals weighed 229 and 258 g (8.1 and 9.1 oz).
Learn the Fan-tailed Raven for real
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